Indian newspaper editor shot, in critical condition

New York, July 16, 2012--Authorities must immediately
investigate Sunday's attack on Tongam Rina, a journalist for a local Indian
daily, and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice, the Committee to
Protect Journalists said today. Rina was in critical condition today in a local
hospital, according to news reports.

Unidentified gunmen opened fire on Rina, an associate editor
of the English-language Arunachal Times,
outside her newspaper office in Itanagar, capital of the Arunachal Pradesh
state on the border with China, according to news reports. Rina, who is also
president of the Arunanchal Pradesh
Union of Working Journalists,
was shot from behind at about 6 p.m., the reports said. The Hindustan
Timesreported that the journalist underwent surgery to remove a bullet
from her stomach and may have suffered spinal damage.

The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear. Rina,
a political reporter who has written many investigative articles, had written
critically about a project to build 150 dams in local rivers that
environmentalists believe threatens the state's forests, according to The
Global Post. She was also vice president of the Siang People's Forum, a
civil society organization that opposed the dams, the Post reported.

"We are deeply concerned about Tongam Rina's well-being and
wish her a swift recovery," said Bob Dietz,
CPJ Asia program coordinator. "Journalists working in the northeast states of India
are vulnerable to attacks that too often go unpunished. We urge police in
Arunachal Pradesh to investigate this crime and bring the perpetrators to
justice."

The offices of the Arunachal
Times have been attacked in the past. On April 15, a group of unidentified
men attacked the office and destroyed several computers, according to local news reports. No newspaper
employees were harmed, and police have not established a motive or made any
arrests in that attack. It is not clear if the incident is related to Sunday's shooting.